Today the FCC released its 2019 Broadband Deployment Report, which found, among other things, that 18% more Americans have access to broadband than in the previous year, and that under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, broadband is being deployed to all Americans "on a reasonable and timely…
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NBC News: Huawei’s ban will disrupt rural America’s cell coverage, and the new T-Mobile can’t save it
What's the Chinese international TV station CGTN doing in rural Montana or Kentucky these days? Why, taking interviews from farmers and businesses that are directly affected by the US trade war with China - explicable - and with the general counsel of the Rural Wireless Association (RWA) - a head-scratcher.…
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CNBC: Evidence suggests pricing will increase with T-Mobile-Sprint merger, expert says
FCC chair Ajit Pai has given the T-Mobile-Sprint merger his blessing, but the deal still needs approval from the Justice Department. According to a Reuters report from Wednesday, the DOJ support is not guaranteed. NY Times media reporter Ed Lee and Gigi Sohn, distinguished fellow with the Georgetown Institute for…
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Cheddar: Report: DOJ Leaning Against Approving T-Mobiles Takeover of Sprint
New reports suggest the U.S. Justice Department is leaning against the T-Mobile takeover of Sprint. This comes after the FCC has recommended approval of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. Thomas Hazlett, Professor of Economics at Clemson University and former Chief Economist of the FCC and Gigi Sohn, Distinguished Fellow at Georgetown Law…
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Wired: Why a T-Mobile/Sprint Merger Would be Bad for the Public
Earlier this week, FCC chair Ajit Pai announced that he would soon be asking his fellow commissioners to approve the merger of two of the four nationwide wireless carriers, T-Mobile and Sprint. After a year of deliberation, including thousands of pages of legal and economic filings by proponents and opponents and three congressional…
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Verge: T-Mobile’s merger promises are meaningless
For the last year, T-Mobile and Sprint have been telling anyone who’ll listen that their planned $26 billion merger will bring some incredible benefits to American consumers. To hear the companies tell it, the industry’s latest super-union will result in faster speeds, broader broadband deployment, and a dramatic boost in…
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Bloomberg: T-Mobile Under Pressure to Sweeten Sprint Package for DOJ Nod
T-Mobile US Inc. suffered a significant setback in its bid for regulatory approval of its takeover of Sprint Corp. after failing to win over the U.S. Justice Department with a remedy package, putting pressure on the companies to offer more concessions. The wireless carriers could try to sell additional assets to resolve the…
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CNET: T-Mobile/Sprint merger wins FCC thumbs-up on 5G promises
The long-planned merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has overcome a major hurdle as the companies made concessions to ease a key regulator's concerns about whether the deal would benefit consumers. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, signaled the shift early Monday. Pai said in a statement that he will recommend to…
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The Hill: FCC Republicans give green light to T-Mobile-Sprint merger
The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission indicated on Monday that it would approve the T-Mobile-Sprint merger after the two companies agreed to spin off Boost Mobile and submit to other conditions for the $26 billion deal. Ajit Pai, the FCC's Republican chairman, said in a statement Monday morning that he was encouraged…
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NPR: FCC Chairman Endorses T-Mobile Merger With Sprint
A telecom merger that has been years in the making is poised to clear a major regulatory hurdle. Ajit Pai, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, said Monday that he endorses the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, a $26 billion deal. This came after the companies agreed to various concessions, including…